November 04, 2009

A recent thread on Ravelry got me to thinking about this topic, and while I believe there are other bloggers who would do a much better job of writing about this subject than I can, I thought I would put some thoughts out there. Hopefully this can encourage a different kind of discussion than what typically results when the matter of men knitting gets raised.

The thread’s topic was on the social cost of men knitting, and as is typical of these kinds of threads, the content shifted relatively quickly and we read posts that declared that men had invented knitting, about how men knit differently than women do, about what it takes to do research for an academic dissertation, about the use of over-blown rhetoric, some displays of nearly overt misogynistic attitudes. I say this is typical of these threads, because it’s what I see happening over and over when online discussions –and not just on ravelry, I’ve seen it on maillists P.R.– discuss matters around men knitting. (Anybody remember the Pre-Ravelry era?) I’ve often wondered why these threads grind to a halt, or completely lose the focus of the original question and deteriorate into such nastiness.

I’ve been knitting for just over 30 years, and during this time I’ve heard statements that men knit differently than women do; that we have a different approach to the craft; that we are more technical knitters; that we handle colour differently; that we have a different aesthetic about the art of knitting. I’ve have always been puzzled by these comments, because I simply don’t see it. I’ve asked people to better define these comments, and get vague answers, or answers that do not pan out when the craft is looked at from a larger perspective. They point to Kaffe Fassett’s creations as demonstrating that men handle colour differently than women do….but I wonder if this is because he is male, or is it a reflection of Kaffe as a human being? Were Kaffe female, would she handle colour differently and/or less well? Or better? Can we say that men handle colour differently than women when we only point to Kaffe as the example?

I hear that men are more technical knitters, yet the majority of technically-astute knitters I know are female. I know that many people dislike the squareness of some designs by Elizabeth Zimmerman and some of my knitting buddies have commented that Lily Chin’s designs seem sterile and dated, but both of these women really pushed the technical limitations of knitting process. The best books, IMO, on the construction, mechanics and design of knitted lace come from Susanna Lewis and Margaret Stove. Can anyone think of a book on knitting technique authored by a man? Can anyone think of a book on knitwear design written by a man?

Men complain that there are no decent designs for sweaters for men. Things get fuzzy in defining what men want in their garments, and it’s been my experience that when men are asked what they want in a sweater design, their specifications pretty much match what already exists. Perhaps we want designs with a new and fresh look or an edgy look, but is it really possible to have new and fresh looking (or edgy) designs when menswear is notoriously conservative?

Men request sweaters using cables. There have been plenty of men’s sweaters using cables, there are plenty of men’s sweaters using cables, and there will be plenty of men’s sweaters using cables. Cables are usually within the range of most knitters’ skill level; patterns can be written relatively easily for them; sweater designs featuring cables have a solid, reliable, conservative look. Add it all up, and a decent pattern for a cabled sweater should appeal to the widest market share of knitters and wearers. But many men reject these designs because, well…frankly, I don’t know. Somehow they’re not right. Perhaps the designs aren’t new and fresh enough. Or edgy. (Whatever that means.)

I think there are several things going on. Traditionally, the people knitting menswear have been women knitting for husbands, sons, boyfriends, etc., and the question they have been asking is “If I knit it, will he wear it?” The magazine editors and book publishers and yarn companies have understood this, so the number of designs published and those accepted for publication has been geared to this. Magazine editors also have to deal with the advertisers’ interests: would anyone be surprised to know that if a certain yarn is used for a design in a magazine, sales of that yarn will increase? Certain yarns would never be accepted for menswear. (Remember eyelash yarns?) Designers may have great designs for menswear, but if they can’t be sold, there is no incentive to develop them past a very basic concept.

In recent past…maybe the last 10 years?...we have seen a significant rise in the number of men knitting for themselves. They learned with simple projects such as beer can cozies, ties, scarves, hats, mitts and easy boxy sweaters. Many of these guys are ready to move on to more advanced projects, and they say they find the available offerings lacking. Yet I wonder if we can effectively communicate to the designers and editors what we really want? If not, no wonder we see few offerings for us in the print publications.

I think the male knitting community is in its infancy…maybe still a pupa. There have always been a handful of us –compared to now– and perhaps we have been more independent minded or something, through necessity. We have had opportunities to explore our knitting interests within a much larger pool of female knitters that hopefully we considered to be our colleagues, and hopefully many considered us to be theirs.

The man who knits is still an exception. If he goes to a mixed-gender gathering, he will likely be singled out in some way, because he is a man who knits. This is detrimental to all attendees, I think. I hope that as the public generally becomes more accustomed to seeing men knitting, the tendency to see the craftsperson’s gender first will fade into the background.

I hope that as more men knit, those with a strong design sense will learn the tools and techniques to design for men. I hope that as this happens, male knitters generally will develop a better ability to discern what they want and to communicate this to those who influence what appears on the pages. Then, we will stand a better chance of being counted as a valued market share whose needs and wants can be met. Perhaps we will be asked to write some books on technique and sweater design.

Finally, I am not a member of spinning and weaving forums, or those for tailoring and sewing or crochet or bobbin lace or tatting or temari, and I wonder if the same questions come up about why men pursue those crafts and any social phenomena around men’s participation in them. If not, why not? What is different around and about those crafts?